RACE BONUS INFO

The NASCAR Winston Cup Leader Bonus is $170,000 at New Hampshire for leading the points and winning the race.(Dale Jarrett last won the award, $10,000 at Daytona) The $340,000 annual award is paid at $10,000 per race to the point leader at the end of each event if he is also the winner. The award increases by $10,000 each week the it goes unclaimed. If the point leader is not the race winner at the end of the year, the balance of the award is distributed among the top-10 finisher in the point standings(7-1-2000)

Leader Bonus: The Winston Cup leader bonus began in 1996 and has never been higher than it will be this weekend at New Hampshire. The bonus goes to a driver who wins a race and is the points leader at the end of that race. It begins at $10,000 and rolls over each week it isn't won. Dale Jarrett won it by winning the Daytona 500 to start the season, of course, but it hasn't been won since and stands at $170,000. That ties the record set back in 1996. Jeff Gordon won an additional $160,000 when he won at Talladega in July of that year(7-1-2000)

PREVIEW, FACT SHEETS and MISC News

Problem with the #6? #5? UPDATE Fines: Hours after the race, NASCAR officials announced they had discovered "an issue" with Mark Martinís #6 Valvoline Ford but would not discuss what, if anything, had failed to pass post-race inspection. Indications are that "the issue" would not change the final finishing order, apparently meaning that Martinís team may face some sort of fine or other punishment(Gaston Gazette) AND Two Winston Cup teams face penalties from NASCAR on Monday after irregularities were found with their cars during the inspection process on Sunday. NASCAR inspectors discovered one or more rule violations with the #5 Chevy driven by Terry Labonte during inspections prior to Sunday's Thatlook.com 300 at New Hampshire. During the post-race inspections, inspectors found one or more rule violations with the #6 Ford of Mark Martin. Winston Cup director Gary Nelson said Sunday night both teams would face fines, but would not lose driver or owner points or have their finishing position changed in Sunday's race. Nelson said NASCAR expected to announce the fines sometime Monday(That's Racin')(7-10-2000)UPDATE Fines: Jimmy Fennig, crew chief for Mark Martin, was fined $25,000 Monday after Martin's #6 Ford was found to be lower than the minimum height requirement in postrace inspection following Sunday's New England 300. Gary DeHart, crew chief for Terry Labonte, was also fined $7,000 for an improperly attached weight on the #5 Chevrolet. NASCAR inspectors found that violation in their prerace inspection on Sunday(That's Racin')(7-11-2000)

NHIS Stuff: One of all the 10 NHIS races have been won by the pole starter: 10%. Last NHIS won by the pole winner: Jeff Gordon, 8/98. 4 of the 10 NHIS races have been won from the Top 10: 40%. Most common starting position of all NHIS race winners: No repeat starting position in 10 races. Most DNFs in a race: 11, 7/94. Fewest DNFs in a race: 4, 7/97. This is just a smattering of stats from the TNN Motorsports site(7-7-2000)

Jeffs at NHIS: Out of the 10 races held at New Hampshire International Speedway, six have been won by Jeff's - three by Jeff Gordon (most recently in the second race of 1998) and three by Jeff Burton, the defending winner of this weekend's race(NASCAR PR)(7-4-2000)

Starting Spot Important? Three races at NHIS(of 10) have been won from those starting outside of the top 20 - Rusty Wallace started 33rd in 1993, Jeff Gordon started 21st in 1995 and Jeff Burton started 38th in 1999(NASCAR PR)(7-4-2000)

QUALIFYING, PRACTICE and RESULTS news and links

Stewart Wins at New Hampshire in the Thatlook.com 300. The race was called with 27 laps to go after the 2nd rain delay. #20-Tony Stewart wins his third race of the 2000 season, the first driver to do so this season. See race results at NOL or Racin' Network(7-9-2000)

Happy Hour at New Hampshire for the Thatlook.com 300 had #55-Kenny Wallace as the fastest with a speed of 129.612mph. #60-Geoffrey Bodine was 2nd. #77-Robert Pressley ran the most laps during practice, 70. See the speeds at NOL(7-8-2000)

2nd Round Qualifying at New Hampshire. #33-Joe Nemechek was the fastest at 129.322mph and moved up from 33rd to 30th in the order. #71-Dave Marcis made an attempt but was slower then 1st round with a speed of 127.338mph and will be the only driver to miss the race. #40-Sterling Marlin used a provisional, as did the #44-Grissom which means that the #44 team along with the #60 Power Team Chevy are the two teams out of provisionals until Darlington at the Southern 500. See starting lineup at NOL, SpeedVision or Racin' Network(7-8-2000)

Saturday AM Practice at New Hampshire had #32-Scott Pruett as the fastest with a speed of 130.251mph. #40-Sterling Marlin practiced at a speed of 129.112mph which was 8th fastest. See the speeds at NOL(7-8-2000)

Marlin to run Saturday: sources tell me that Sterling Marlin and the #40 team has NOT withdrwan from the Cup race at New Hampshire. MRN Radio reported that he didn't qualify in first round out of respect to his teammate kenny Irwin, who lost his life in practice Friday morning. Plans call for Marlin to make a 2nd round attempt Saturday morning(7-7-2000)

Qualifying for the Thatlook.com 300 at NHIS is over. #2-Rusty Wallace wins his 7th pole of the 2000 Cup season with a new track record of 132.089mph. Six drivers broke the track record, 131.171mph - set by Jeff Gordon in July of 1999, #50-Craven, #6-Martin, #99-Burton, #43-Andretti, #2-Wallace, #20-Stewart. #75-Wally Dallenbach spun on his lap and backed into the wall, he is OK. No speed for #90-Ed Berrier as he brushed the wall just before he took the green flag for his lap, he is OK. With 44 cars making attempts(#40 will go Saturday in 2nd round), one car will go home, if things stay as they are now, that car would be #71-Dave Marcis(45th in owners points). See the Provisional Status page for rules and standings. Results can be seen at NOL and Racin' Net(7-7-2000)

Friday Practice for the Thatlook.com 300 at New Hampshire has #2-Rusty Wallace as the fastest with a speed of 132.222mph. Six drivers, including Wallace went faster then the track record of 131.171mph, set by Jeff Gordon in July 1999. See the speeds at NOL and Racin' Network(7-7-2000)

How to break a tie during qualifying? When drivers are tied for a starting spot during
qualifying, it is broken by owners points standings(not drivers). For
provisionals standings see the Jayski Provisional
Status page(2-20-2000)

Links: Practice speeds, qualifying and results can be found at these
sites: NASCAR Online,

TRACK/RACE NEWS

thatlook.com 300thatlook.com and New Hampshire International Speedway announced a marketing partnership that will include sponsorship of the track's NASCAR racing events for this upcoming July 7-9,2000 weekend. "We are pleased to have our first dot com company join us as name and title sponsor of the thatlook.com 300 NASCAR Winston Cup race as well as our entire race weekend here at The Magic Mile," said NHIS President Gary Bahre. thatlook.com is an experienced national service group assisting individuals to obtain affordable and convenient elective cosmetic surgery to improve their physical appearance(NHIS PR)(7-5-2000)

NHIS Grand Marshall: Well-known television broadcaster Ken Squier has been named the Grand Marshall for the July 9 New England 300 at New Hampshire International Speedway. A life-long friend to motorsports, Squier has gained national acclaim as the voice of CBSís auto racing coverage. Squier is a partner in the television production firm World Sports, owns a group of five radio stations in Vermont, and also owns the Thunder Road International Speedbowl in Vermont(PR)(7-4-2000)

How to Calculate Track Speeds: use the formula Speed = Distance divided by Time. Distance is Track Length, and Lap Time into Hours. Once hour is 3600 seconds, so the calculation for a 48 second lap at Daytona(2.5 miles) would be: Speed = 2.5 x (3600/48), = 2.5 x 75 = 187.500mph. For a 19 second lap at Bristol(.533 miles): Speed = .533 x (3600/19), = .533 x 189.474 = a speed of 100.990mph

DRIVER/TEAM NEWS

Schrader double duty at NHIS UPDATE: Ken Schrader will be making only his second appearance in the CTS this season at the New Hampshire. Schrader will drive his #52 Federated Auto Parts Chevrolet Silverado in the CTS race on on Saturday. Schrader will, of course, run the #36 M&M's Pontiac in the Cup race(NHIS PR)(7-5-2000)UPDATE: Add Bobby Hamilton and Steve Grissom to the list of drivers who will run both the Cup and CTS race at NHIS(7-6-2000)

Kyle to skip New Hampshire? UPDATE 2 YES: Kyle Petty has not decided whether he will go to New Hampshire for next weekend's Cup race, he said Thursday. The event would be the first time the Winston Cup Series has been at the track since Kyle's son, Adam, died in a crash there in practice May 12. Next Sunday's race comes a day before Adam Petty would have turned 20. Kyle Petty said he tries to take things one day at a time. He said he would have to discuss with his wife, Pattie, and their children, Austin and Montgomery Lee, whether to race in New Hampshire(Roanoke Times)(6-30-2000)UPDATE: Kyle Petty remains unsure whether he will drive his #44 Hot Wheels Pontiac in next weekend's race at New Hampshire, where his 19-year-old son, Adam Petty, was killed in a practice session crash in May. NASCAR's Truck series also runs at New Hampshire next weekend and Petty Enterprises' driver in that series, Steve Grissom, would be available to drive Petty's car should he decide not to come to the race(That's Racin') AND TNN's Raceday says Petty may miss Septembers Cup race at NHIS also(7-2-2000)UPDATE 3: Steve Grissom will drive the #44 Hot Wheels Pontiac for Kyle Petty at NHIS. Petty will not travel to New Hampshire for the races(NOL)(7-3-2000)

Midwest Transit sponsor? UPDATE 2: hearing the #50 Midwest Transit team is close to a deal with a sponsor for the Brickyard 400, Watkins Glen, Michigan and Bristol and if all goes well, possibly 2001(6-30-2000)UPDATE: The Hal Hicks-owned team picks up a sponsor beginning with the race at Indianapolis. The team signed a four-race contract with an Internet company(Times Dispatch)(hopefully NOT Lycos)(7-2-2000)UPDATE 3 Craven to Run NHIS: Ricky Craven and his Hal Hicks-owned Midwest Transit Racing team will compete in Sunday's New England 300 at New Hampshire, Craven's home track. The team, running without a primary sponsor, has only competed in races this season it believes it can qualify for and run well in. The team will skip the July Pocono race and return for the Brickyard 400 in August, where it will begin a four-race run with an Internet company as sponsor. Good performances may lead to a full-season deal for 2001(That's Racin')(7-3-2000)

Leader Bonus: The Winston Cup leader bonus began in 1996 and has never been higher than it will be this weekend. The bonus goes to a driver who wins a race and is the points leader at the end of that race. It begins at $10,000 and rolls over each week it isn't won. Dale Jarrett won it by winning the Daytona 500 to start the season, of course, but it hasn't been won since and stands at $170,000. That ties the record set back in 1996. Jeff Gordon won an additional $160,000 when he won at Talladega in July of that year(7-1-2000)

PAINT SCHEME NEWS

#75 and AOL UPDATE 2: Turner Broadcasting System, Inc./Galaxy Motorsports #75 Ford's paint scheme and design will heavily feature AOL during the Jiffy Lube 300 in New Hampshire and during the Pennsylvania 500. TBS Superstation's Dinner & A Movie and AOL will co-sponsor the Sept. 24 MBNA Gold 500 in Delaware. Though a first-time sponsor of a Winston Cup entry, America Online is no stranger to the NASCAR circuit. AOL has sponsored Damon Lusk on NASCAR's Southwest Series and currently sponsors ARCA series driver Andy Belmont of the America Online Racing Team(Yahoo Biz)(6-22-2000)UPDATE: Actually the #79 TRIX Racing Chevy was entered last year at New Hampshire and Dover(fall races) with AOL as the sponsor with Andy Belmont racing but failed to make the races(6-23-2000)UPDATE 2: A new marketing partner will join Galaxy Motorsports when America Online graces the hood of Wally Dallenbach's #75 Ford in three upcoming races, beginning at New Hampshire. America Online will also be the primary sponsor on Dallenbach's car -- and the presenting sponsor of the race -- for the July 23 Pennsylvania
500 Presented by America Online at Pocono. In addition, America Online will share primary sponsorship on owner
Darwin Oordt's Ford with the Cartoon Network for the Sept. 24 MBNA Gold 400 at Dover. The America Online Ford will sport a navy blue-and-yellow paint scheme. Galaxy Motorsports employs a rotating sponsorship on its fleet of
Fords. TBS Superstation Dinner & A Movie, with associate sponsorship from Pepcid AC and Imodium AD, is the primary sponsor for 11 races this season. Turner Broadcasting System's Cartoon Network and World Championship Wrestling are the primary sponsors for seven races. Rotozip Power Tools is the major sponsor for seven races and RedCell Batteries is the primary for six events this year(Hoagland Communications)(6-30-2000)

Exide and Burton Honors: To commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Korean War, The #99 Exide Bateries Ford, driven by Jeff Burton, will display the United States of America Korean War Commemorative Insignia during the upcoming New England 300 at New Hampshire. For the entire July 7-9 weekend in Loudon, NH, the 50th anniversary insignia will be positioned on the hood of the #99 Ford. The 50th anniversary commemorative period began Sunday, June 25 - the day the war broke out in 1950. It will last until Veterans Day, 2003. Over 1.7 million Americans served in the war, which lasted more than three years. Nearly 37,000 gave their lives for America and the cause of freedom in Korea. Over 8,100 Americans remain unaccounted for (unrecovered or unidentified). General information about the 50th Anniversary of the Korean War Commemoration may be found at the official Commemoration web site - korea50.army.mil.(Exide PR)(6-30-2000)

STATS and STUFF

Pole Record: had a few questions on this, so I did some research - What is the record for the most poles in a season by one driver? In the modern era(1972 to present): Cale Yarborough had 14 poles in 31 starts(45%) during the 1980 season. The overall record was Bobby Isaac who had 20 poles in 50 starts(40%) during the 1969 season(Stock Car Racing Encyclopedia) #2-Rusty Wallace has 6 in 17 races - 35.3%(6-30-2000)

Manu Lap Leaders: In 4997 laps ran so far in 2000, Ford drivers have led 2265 laps, Chevy drivers have led 1607 laps, and Pontiac drivers have led 1125 laps(6-26-2000)

Top Fives: There have been 25 different Cup drivers(none new at Daytona) score a Top-5 in 2000....1999's total was 28 and 1998 year's total number was 27(7-1-2000)

Top Tens: There have been 33 different Cup drivers(none new at Daytona) score a Top-10 in 2000.....1999's total was 40 and 1998's total number was 41(7-1-2000)

Provisonal Finishes in 2000: In 119 provisonal starts(17 races x 7), drivers have accumulated 0 Wins, 2 Top 5's and 5 Top 10's. See my Provisional Finishes Page for each race finish by the provisionals starters(7-1-2000)

Lap Leader/Bonus Points: 40 drivers have led at least one Winston Cup lap in 2000. All drivers who have made all the Cup races have now lead a lap in 2000. To see who has led laps and who leads in the bonus points, see my Bonus Points Leaders Page(7-1-2000)

Consecutive Starts: Terry Labonte has 653 consecutive Winston Cup starts, Dale Earnhardt is next with 630, followed by Ricky Rudd with 591 and Rusty Wallace at 500(7-1-2000)

No Top Fives Since.... It has been a while since some drivers have had even a whiff of success on the Winston Cup circuit. Here are those with the longest streak of races without a top-five finish:

1999 winners who have not won in 2000: Terry Labonte, Joe Nemechek and John Andretti are the drivers who earned victories in 1999 and have not won yet in 2000. Two drivers who won in 1998 Bobby Hamilton and Ricky Rudd, have not won since(7-1-2000)

No Wins Ever.... Some regular drivers in Winston Cup who have never won a Cup race and how many starts they have:

One owner, three winners? That's Racin' brings up a good question. When was the last time a team owner had three different drivers win in the same season? as Jack Roush has now done this year with Mark Martin, Jeff Burton and Matt Kenseth. The last to do it was Rick Hendrick in 1989 with Darrell Waltrip (six wins), Ken Schrader (one win) and Geoffrey Bodine (one win)(That's Racin') Technically, Mark Martin is listed as the owner of Kenseth's car and Robert Corn is listed as the owner on the Burton car, but all fall under the Roush Racing umbrella(5-31-2000)

Winners: 1999 was the fifth straight year that there have been 11 different winners in a season (1995-99). Every winner in 1999 was from a multi-car team. The last time a single-car team scored a victory was by Ricky Rudd at Martinsville in September 1998(NOL)(11-24-1999)

UPDATE: Jeff Burton was the first driver to win from a provisional starting spot EVER at New Hampshire in 1999 and that is the farthest back any driver has won from since Kyle Petty won from 37th at Dover in June 1995(in 1995 37th was not a provisional starting spot). Bill Elliott also won from 38th spot in the 1988 Pepsi 400. In fact ALL the provisional starters for the race finished in the top 25 at NHIS(7-11-1999) -- UPDATE: Add Bobby Labonte as the 2nd ever provisional winners by winning the 1999 NAPA 500 at Atlanta(11-21-1999)